Alupro announced as Drops Cycling Team’s lead sponsorship partner

Drops Cycling Team has linked up with the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Network (Alupro) to promote recycling aluminium packaging at home, at work and on the go throughout 2017, focussing on the Every Can Counts programme.

The Every Can Counts programme encourages recycling of aluminium drinks cans in all environments and counts on the support of drinks can manufacturers, recyclers and leading brands.

The Drops Cycling Team, formed in 2016, includes 16 riders from Great Britain and the rest of the world, and will be promoting the Every Can Counts programme at competitive races across the UK during 2017, including the Tour de Yorkshire and the Tour Series.

When speaking about the partnership, Drops Director, Tom Varney said: “We’re delighted to welcome Alupro on board. The Every Can Counts initiative, and recycling in general has many synergies with cycling and we’re excited to explore opportunities of how we can educate people further.”

Alupro Executive Director, Rick Hindley added: “The partnership with Drops gives us a great opportunity to reach a large, and growing, audience of people who, because of their enthusiasm for cycling, also care about the environment.

“The profile of this young, ambitious and enthusiastic team of athletes complements the brand values of Every Can Counts; so we’ll be working closely with the team to promote our message thoroughout the season and urging their followers to make their cans count!”

HRH The Princess Royal officially opens Battlefield Energy Recovery Facility

The Battlefield Energy Recovery Facility in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, was officially opened by HRH The Princess Royal on Tuesday (10 January). The site has been developed by Veolia on behalf of Shropshire Council as part of a 27-year contract between the two and is designed to process 90,000 tonnes of non-recyclable household waste produced by the county while generating eight megawatts of low carbon energy through the National Grid.

The facility was under construction from October 2012 and became fully operational in May 2015, employing 180 construction workers at the peak of the building works and currently 24 full-time staff in highly skilled positions.

Estelle Brachlianoff, Veolia Senior Executive Vice President Veolia UK and Ireland said: “Over the past 10 years we have worked very closely with Shropshire Council to develop an integrated approach to the county’s waste management and recycling. This facility is part of a long term investment in recycling and recovery infrastructure over the lifetime of the contract and will significantly contribute towards maximising landfill diversion.”

SUEZ wins Devon County Council household recycling centre contract

SUEZ recycling and recovery UK has been awarded a county-wide contract by Devon County Council to manage its household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) for the next five years.

The contract will start on 1 April and will cover the operation of 18 HWRCs and two waste transfer stations for an initial five-year period, with an option to extend year-on-year for four years depending on performance, with SUEZ aiming to achieve an average waste-diversion target of 81 per cent.

Revenue from resale materials will be shared equally between SUEZ and Devon County Council, who will use this revenue to fund the Council’s running of the service. As part of the contract SUEZ will also retain current staffing levels (around 130 staff) and invest in a new mobile plant and other minor site improvement works.

James Pike, Regional Director for SUEZ recycling and recovery UK, said: “To date, we have worked in collaboration with Devon County Council, to continually improve the customer experience, by educating our staff in respect of best practice principals around recycling and how to convey this information to residents. We have also introduced on-site re-use facilities for the benefit of residents and will look to strengthen this offering under the new contract.

Councillor Roger Croad, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment, added: “This is a very significant contract for the County Council and we believe that, by renewing Suez’s contract, we have secured the best solution, with a focus on price, quality and value for money for the tax payer.

“The new contract will continue to provide a good service to Devon’s communities and the thousands of users of our household waste recycling centres.”